Whistleblower News From The Inside — April 29, 2015
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
SEC doles out first whistleblower award in retaliation case – The SEC said it paid the first-ever reward to a former hedge fund trader who faced retaliation for reporting his concerns about conflicts of interest. The SEC said that the whistleblower, who worked for the hedge fund Paradigm Capital Management, suffered “unique hardships, including retaliation, as a result of reporting” his concerns to the agency. Reuters
Senate approves auto industry whistleblower bill – The U.S. Senate approved the first piece of auto safety legislation, a bill to incentivize auto industry whistleblowers, in the wake of recalls by General Motors Co. and Takata Corp. of tens of millions of vehicles and air bags. Detroit News
Bill punishing retaliators against VA whistleblowers introduced — Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, pushes for The Veterans Affairs Retaliation Prevention Act that would provide specific penalties for supervisors who take revenge against whistleblowers. Washington Post
Truth in Settlements Act introduced — Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the Truth in Settlements Act, bipartisan legislation to increase transparency around major settlements reached by federal enforcement agencies so that when federal agencies close investigations and settle cases, they release the actual dollar amount obtained from the offender. Edmond Sun
WA laser technology firm settles FCA case over government grants — nLight Photonics, Inc., a manufacturer of high performance diode and fiber lasers, has agreed to pay $420,000 to resolve allegations that between 2004 and 2013, it received multiple government grants and contracts for which it did not legitimately qualify. DOJ
Legacy Research Institute hit with whistleblower lawsuit over body donation program — A former employee of Legacy Research Institute alleges she was terminated for raising safety concerns about the institute’s body donation program, which coordinates the donation of bodies for scientific research. Portland Business Journal